Stags Best in the West in Pre-Season Rankings

Nov 04, 2011

CMS is ranked #5 Nationally and #1 in the West according to the
Campbell's / ITA Division III Rankings released on November 3. The
Stags placed six singles players in the top fifty national
pre-season rankings, and one doubles team in the top ten.

The team's #5 national ranking marks the sixth consecutive year
that the Stags have earned a top five spot in the fall rankings.
CMS has also earned year-end top five finishes in each of those
seasons. The SCIAC is also well represented in the polls, with
Pomona-Pitzer (#8), Redlands (#15), and Cal Lutheran (#20) all
ranked in the top twenty nationally and top six in the west.
Whittier and Occidental also earned west regional team rankings (#9
and #14), meaning that six of the seven SCIAC teams are ranked.

Individually for CMS, West Regional singles champion Alex
Lane (Jr. - Claremont, CA) was the top ranked player
for the Stags at #4 nationally and #1 in the west, while
junior Alex Johnson (Thousand Oaks,
CA) earned a #12 national ranking and #4 ranking in the west for
reaching the singles final the second straight year. Junior Mac Cahill (Southport, CT) earned #39
national and #10 west regional singles rankings, while the Stags'
entire freshman class - Warren Wood (Del Mar, CA), Cameron Bernhardt (San Diego, CA) and
Nikolas Marino (San Diego, CA) - were
also awarded national and regional pre-season rankings. Wood
debuted at #19 nationally and #6 in the west, Bernhardt was at #42
and #11, and Marino at #45 and #12.

In doubles, Lane and Wood earned a #10 national ranking and #3
west ranking after reaching the final of the USTA / ITA West
Regional. Sophomore Zhenya Pereverzin (Clackamas, OR) and
senior Brandon Wei (Lake Oswego, OR) rank #6
in the west after reaching the quarterfinals of the USTA / ITA West
Regional, while the freshmen duo of Bernhardt and Marino, who
reached the semis of regionals, earned a ranking of #8.

The Stags begin their spring season with the Ducey Cup Alumni
Match on Saturday, February 4. CMS opens their home dual match
schedule on Saturday, February 18 at the Biszantz Family Tennis
Center against Chapman University, after traveling to nationally
ranked NAIA opponent Westmont College earlier the same day. The
Stags begin SCIAC play the following Saturday, February 25 against
Caltech, as they see to extend their program best conference
winning streak to 58 matches.